Remember Bill C-12, Canada's first emissions-reduction accountability act?
It outlines the federal government's responsibility to set targets for cutting GHG emissions, and plans to meet those targets, every five years from 2030 to 2050. The ultimate target is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. You'll find a handy timeline here.
It's also about public consultation as part of setting targets, and public accountability for meeting them.
Public consultation on the first target goal for 2030 is open online until end of day January 21st. Because of the incredibly short timeline, happening over the holidays and amid unpredictable back-to-school and work schedules, we've tried to make it as simple as possible for you to provide input. Here are some options:
Quickest: Find suggested responses here
Individual responses are more meaningful than template ones, but don't let that stop you. If you agree with these suggested responses, copying and pasting them into the online survey is a good way to let the government know you are a concerned citizen. Rewording them to reflect your own thoughts if possible is even better! Especially if you add a few lines about your story as a parent, grandparent, or caregiver advocating for the kids who will be directly impacted by the actions taken over the next 8 years.
Have 1-2 hours? Read more before responding
The submissions portal includes a fair bit of helpful background information. It takes about an hour to read through the pages before submitting responses, and having time to reflect more deeply on the questions will allow you to be more thorough. You can save your responses as you go, so no need to complete the whole survey at one time.
Deep dive: Additional resources
Here's an amazing toolkit developed by Climate Messengers including comprehensive research on each topic covered in the survey and a range of ideas for responses. Our thanks to Climate Messengers for sharing their work and insights.
Whichever action you take, please share with your networks and encourage others to do the same. With so much on their plates, parents can feel this kind of action is too much to take on - meaning their voices are often missing from these discussions, where they are most needed as advocates for our kids.
